Islamabad, Dec 12 (IANS)

Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani took oath Thursday as Pakistan's 21st chief justice, succeeding Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the man responsible for military dictator General Pervez Musharraf's downfall.

President Mamnoon Hussain administered the oath of office to Justice Jillani at the Presidency here, Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.

According to APP, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and former chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, were also present at the ceremony.

Jillani follows in the office after Pakistan's longest serving Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, who retired Wednesday.

According to the profile available from the Supreme Court, Justice Jillani was born July 6, 1949.

He did his Master's in political science from Forman Christian College, Lahore, LL.B. from the University of Punjab - Lahore and a course in constitutional law from the Institute of Advance Legal Studies, of the University of London.

He started practice at district courts Multan, Punjab, in 1974 and enrolled as an advocate of the Punjab High Court in 1976. He was elected the general secretary of the District Bar Association Multan in 1976 and a member of the Punjab Bar Council in 1978.

He was appointed the assistant advocate general of Punjab in July 1979. He was enrolled as an advocate of the Supreme Court in 1983 and got promoted as additional advocate general of Punjab in 1988. He became the advocate general of Punjab in 1993.

He took oath as a judge of the Lahore High Court Aug 7, 1994, and was elevated as judge of the Supreme Court July 31, 2004, a position he served till the imposition of the state of Emergency Nov 3, 2007.

As he refused to take fresh oath, he was made dysfunctional as a judge of the Supreme Court. After the restoration of democracy and an elected government in Pakistan, Jillani joined as judge of the Supreme Court in September 2009.

He was named the Chief Justice of Pakistan Dec 12, 2013.

Justice Jillani was awarded the 'Key of the City of Detroit (Michigan)' by the mayor of that American city Oct 12, 2007, and was conferred 'Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters' at a special convocation held in Southern Virginia University, Washington.

In July 2008, he was invited by the American Bar Association to receive the '2008 Rule of Law Award' on behalf of those judges of Pakistan who demonstrated courage in upholding the rule of law in the country.

He is Co-chair of the Hague Conference Mediation Committee in Family International Law.